Is it possible that this team is just totally and utterly exhausted? Think about this stretch they have played since last saturday. @Indiana, OSU, @wisco, @msu. Plus going to overtime in two of them. They are off until Sunday, I want to see this team get rested, get pissed and come back strong to finish off this season.

Many if us probably have wet dreams about this team playing pissed off so let's hope that happens. But we've seen no indication that that us in their genetic makeup. They are more worried about trying to remember what option 13(b)(4)(D) is off the high pick and roll than they are about kicking someone's ass.

I look at this team the last 3 weeks and see a decent Beilein WV team. I'm not sure what happened over the last month, but I don't like it. Our guys are scared out there. They don't rebound, they don't defend, they don't go to the basket. Its unfortunate that we haven't really improved or grown during b10 play. If anything we've regressed.

"A flute with no holes is not a flute. A donut with no hole is a danish"

Disagree. Beating up on average to below average teams does nothing. They did that for the majority of the first 60% of the schedule. They have beaten no one (Minn) on the road. They have been exposed from the OSU game forward on how to be beaten. Pressure Burke, take away options, punch GR3 in the mouth (he disappears) and out work Michigan.

Defense always travels. Offense will go into a funk. OSU with 1.5 freaking offensive options almost beat UM on the road. WIscy always is tough to beat with almost no offensive talent. Michigan is a fun offensive team against inferior talent, but does not show the defensive effort or drive to play with big boys. Beating PSU by 15 wont change that.

Probably have lost worse, but those teams weren't good. No reason for this team to get run out of town in the biggest game of their season to date.

Backs are against the wall now and have to win out just to share. But this doesn't look like a team that's even going to be able to protect home court right now. More likely we're just trying to get our shit together because all this ugly gets erased with a nice run in March. But it's sad to be playing for March before mid-February with this team.

We may not be #1, but we're not playing to the level of our talent either. We can keep using youth as an excuse, because guess what- this is college basketball today. You're almost never going to have a talented and experienced team. You have to find a way to win with freshmen, and sophomores.

How do you come out so flat in the three biggest road games of the year @ OSU, Indiana and MSU games with absolutely no energy and effort. There are two big differences from this year to last, 1. Novak and company had heart and effort but almost no elite talent - 2. This team has elite offensive talent but no heart and effort which is really what defense, rebounding and hustle create.

I would almost rather watch last years team at this point as at least you would count on the kids hustling after almost everything 100% of the time. At this point, it seems like everyone wants to only hustle to get down to the 3 point line to try to get a long-range shot, way too man y offensive boards due to simply not blocking out and putting in effort, and what appears to be a distinct lack of effort and aggresive play around the basket.

There is no killer instinct that has at least been displayed at this point, and it would be nice to see someone finally drive effort around an almost insane level of effort at hustle plays and defense.

Can a team built around players out of their ideal size-based position really contend on the big stage? It seems clear that GR3 is not ready to play the Novak role (and I don't think many people ever will be--Novak was a special guy)

I think that the way this team is built sets it up for failure on the defensive end. We have no athletic bigs to cover our mediocre perimeter defenders. Ideally, McGary/Morgan would be a 4, and we would have a stronger 5 presence.

I see that I'm rambling. I dunno. I just think this team is doomed to be soft. I know I know they're allllll freshmen, but I just don't see where we can grow. To me it's like a 6 foot linebacker who could be really good but he's just too small

All I really saw tonight was true freshmen playing like true freshmen. Couldn't buy a basket under the hoop, lots of thoughtless turnovers. They got flustered on the big stage because they're young and they're not ready. Hopefully this gets them ready.

I don't know what to tell you, but growing up takes time. I think the tough games are showing us that we probably aren't a top-10 team. When these guys are hitting on all cylinders, they're really tough to beat. When they're off, they can be beat by good teams. This is much better than previous years when if we were off, we could be beat by anyone.

I don't watch much NBA, but after these last few games against high level competition how in the world in Burke considered such a high draft pick? His D is average, his outside shot is iffy and agianst tall, quick defenders he gets shut down.

He saw God's foot upon the treadle of the loom, and spoke it; and his shipmates called him mad.